Posts tagged: research impact

If you are looking to generate impact from your research, please ensure that you engage from the start with the University Impact, Engagement and Environment Coordinator, Emma Sutton, and your School Impact Coordinator** so that the impact can be tracked and evidenced on an ongoing basis.

Key points to consider when you start a new research project:

• What will be the indicators of impact? How will success be measured throughout and what needs to be captured?
• Complete a stakeholder analysis to identify the potential beneficiaries of your work
• Clearly demonstrate a pathway to impact: what steps will you take to engage with your stakeholders and how will you measure any benefits to them?
• Articulate the significance and reach of the potential impact
• Use existing and well-understood baselines and gold standards to measure your impact

Some examples of types of impact evidence that you could obtain:

• Testimonials from organisations and individuals
• Quotations from high-profile figures (obtained through interviews)
• Participant feedback
• Media mentions
• Quantitative data (e.g. improved company sales, percentages demonstrating cost savings etc.)
• Published reports as a result of research conducted
• Guidelines/policy documents that cite your research

**Look to use both qualitative and quantitative data where possible!**

Points to remember:

o Ensure that information is robust and credible

o Ensure that information is independently verifiable

o Link evidence to clear targets and indicate whether these were met or exceeded

o Provide evidence of research being widely disseminated, e.g. through tweets, blogs, access to websites, press coverage, broadcastings, downloads, sales

o Find ways of communicating the research as it progresses to develop wider impact along the way (not just at the end)

o Conduct exit interviews with the business if ending relationship/researcher if leaving institution – evidence of impact must be captured before departure

o Be able to demonstrate that without the research, the impact would not have occurred: how has the research made the difference?

Remember: the earlier you begin collecting and collating your impact evidence, the easier it will be to create your own impact case study!

Further information on impact evidence collection can be found on the REF intranet at: www.salford.ac.uk/ref

**School Impact Coordinators are as follows: CSE – Prof Apostolos Antonacopoulos ELS – Prof Mike Wood / Prof Andy Miah H&S – Prof Neal Hazel Institute for Dementia – Dr Gemma Lace-Costigan SAM – Dr Pal Vik SBS – Prof Phil Scarf SOBE – Prof Peter Walker

With less than 2 years to go until our REF submission (deadline: Friday, 27th November 2020), the final set of guidance materials for REF2021 (including guidance on submissions and panel guidelines) was published on 31 January 2019 following wide consultation with the sector in late 2018. The final guidance documentation is available at www.ref.ac.uk/publications/

What does this mean for impact?

The salient points to take from the final REF guidance on impact case study submission are as follows:

Definition of impact for the REF

For the purposes of the REF, impact is defined as an effect on, change or benefit to the economy, society, culture, public policy or services, health, the environment or quality of life, beyond academia.

Impact includes, but is not limited to, an effect on, change or benefit to:

• the activity, attitude, awareness, behaviour, capacity, opportunity, performance, policy, practice, process or understanding

• of an audience, beneficiary, community, constituency, organisation or individuals

• in any geographic location whether locally, regionally, nationally or internationally

Impact also includes the reduction or prevention of harm, risk, cost or other negative effects.

Impacts will be assessed in terms of their ‘reach and significance’ regardless of the geographic location in which they occurred, whe

ther locally, regionally, nationally or internationally.

Impact also includes the reduction or prevention of harm, risk, cost or other negative effects.

Each of the four main panels (A, B, C, D) have slightly different requirements for the following:

• Continued case studies

• Indicators of quality for underpinning research

UoA Leads/Deputies are therefore encouraged to look closely at the panel guidance for their particular panel when reviewing impact case study drafts.

Submission requirements

• Each submission must include impact case studies (REF3 template) describing specific impacts that have occurred during the assessment period (1 August 2013 to 31 July 2020) that were underpinned by excellent research undertaken in the submitted unit. The underpinning research must have been produced by the submitting HEI during the period 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2020.

• This may include, for example, impacts at an early stage, or impacts that may have started prior to 1 August 2013 but continued into the period 1 August 2013 to 31 July 2020. Case studies will be assessed in terms of the reach and significance of the impact that occurred only during the period 1 August 2013 to 31 July 2020, and not in terms of any impact prior to this period or potential future or anticipated impact after this period.

• When writing case studies, submitting units should refer to the guidelines for presenting quantitative data set out in the ‘Guidelines for standardising quantitative indicators of impact within REF case studies’. These guidelines have been developed to enable more consistent presentation of quantitative evidence in case studies. This document (and a summary thereof) can be found separately at www.salford.ac.uk/ref under Impact Evidence Collection.

• More than one submitted unit (within the same HEI and/or in different HEIs) may include the same impact within their respective case studies, so long as each submitted unit produced excellent research that made a distinct and material contribution to the impact. In such cases, units may provide common descriptions of the impact arising, where they so wish.

• Impact case studies continued from examples submitted in 2014 will be eligible for submission in REF 2021 as long as they meet the 2021 eligibility criteria, including the length of the window for underpinning research and the assessment period for the impact described.

Go to www.salford.ac.uk/ref to check out all the REF guidance and more.

To support researchers at Salford in becoming more ‘impactful’, the University operates an internal Research Impact Fund, which offers:

• up to £1000 that must be match-funded by your School/Research Centre, to individuals and groups in support of activities that reflect the University’s desire to increase the impact and reach of its research, and/or highlight strategic engagement that builds upon the University’s vision to pioneer ‘exceptional industry partnerships’.

Or

• up to £1500 that must be match-funded by your School/Research Centre, to identified REF impact case study leads seeking to increase their dissemination and impact generation activities for the remainder of the current REF cycle.

Applications should be aligned to one or more of the following themes:

• Strengthening interaction – seeking to nurture and build upon relationships with non-academic partners, aligning with strategic goal of the University – the Industry Collaboration Zones
• Broadening research – in line with REF and funder requirements, to expand the reach and influence of research outcomes, in addition to introducing greater partner contribution into the design of future research
• Promoting social benefit – demonstrating how the application of research-based knowledge might lead to practical and focused solutions at a range of scales

Suggested Activities                                                                                                 

The following list is not exhaustive:

• The translation of research findings for non-academic audiences (e.g. policy reports, leaflets, audio-visual materials, etc.)                                 
• Events or workshops with a focus on non-academic stakeholders (dissemination or activity-based)
• The trialling of creative modes of public engagement (e.g. exhibitions or film screenings)
• The commercialisation of research findings through IP protection and/or business engagement
• The formation or strengthening of networks outside academia (e.g. visits/meetings to build relationships, or the initial development of a web/social media platform)
• Exchange or placement activities (e.g. within an external non-HEI organisations, or through the placement of a non-HEI partner within the University)
• The development of pedagogical materials (e.g. online training resources or ‘train the trainer’ sessions)

The 2018/19 Fund is currently open for a special call for new applications, with a deadline of Friday, 1st March 2019.

Further details and the application form can be found on the Impact Funding page at www.salford.ac.uk/ref

If you would like to find out more about the Research Impact Fund, or impact in general, please contact Emma Sutton, Impact, Engagement and Environment Coordinator on research-impact@salford.ac.uk

The University of Salford, alongside partner institutions Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Manchester, are running over 30 events across Manchester and Salford as part of this year’s ESRC Festival of Social Science, 3-10 November 2018.

The Festival showcases Manchester social science research to a broad non-academic audience. This brings together an eclectic blend of activities designed to celebrate the social sciences, including discussions and debates, exhibitions, film screenings, walkabouts, family fun days, schools visits, workshops, and lots more.

Aims of the Festival

Through its Festival of Social Science, the ESRC aims to:

• Encourage, support and create the opportunity for social science researchers to engage with non-academic audiences
• Promote and increase awareness of the social sciences and ESRC’s research
• Promote and increase awareness of the contributions the social sciences make to the wellbeing and the economy of the UK society
• Enable the public to engage with social science research
• Engage with teachers and young people and to raise their awareness of the social sciences.

Contributions from our researchers in the School of Health & Society:

/ Catherine Thompson & Bruno Fazenda

Using VR nature environments to improve performance and wellbeing

Saturday 3rd November 10am – 5pm / Manchester Museum

/ Philip Brown, Lisa Scullion & Tim Isherwood

The power of design: exploring the role of creative research dissemination

Monday 5th November 5pm – 8pm / New Adelphi Building, University of Salford campus

/ Jack Wilson, Anthea Innes, Andrew Clark & Anya Ahmed

University of Salford dementia and ageing hub showcase

Tuesday 6th November 2.30pm – 4.30pm / G05 The Old Fire Station, University of Salford campus

/ Cathy Ure, Penny Cook, Liz Burns, Margaret Coffey & Suzy Hargreaves

Putting communities in charge of alcohol: a health champion model

Tuesday 6th November Time 5.30pm – 7.00pm / The Friends Meeting House, Manchester

/ Donna Peach, Gabi Hesk, Deanna Edwards & Andrea Pepe

Developing community engagement with the social sciences

Wednesday 7th November 12pm-8pm / Atrium, Adelphi Building, University of Salford campus

/ Tina Patel & Laura Connelly

Divided communities? What the Brexit future means for people in Salford

Thursday 8th November 1pm – 3pm / G05, The Old Fire Station, University of Salford campus

/ Michaela Rogers

Ageing with healthy relationships: overcoming barriers to help-seeking when experiencing domestic abuse

Friday 9th November 2018 – INVITE ONLY / The Pankhurst Centre, Manchester

/ Ian Cummins & Toni Wood

True crime and punishment: exploring the influence of cultural representations of crime

Saturday 10th November 10am – 3.30pm / MediaCity UK

/ Dilla Davis & Annie Nichols with Manchester Malayalee Cultural Association (MMCA)

After a heart attack – role of cardiac rehabilitation

Saturday 10th November, 2pm – 4pm / Woodhouse Park Lifestyle Center

Why not come along and join in the activities?

Full details of all events across the week are available at:  www.esrcmanchesterfest.ac.uk.

Tweet your comments using the hashtags #esrcfestival and #McrESRCfest

REF

Original post 

University of Salford’s Impact Coordinator – Chris Hewson discusses why we need to talk about research impact:

Over the last eighteen months, much has been written and said about impact, and how Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) can effectively, and efficiently, place themselves on a secure footing in preparation for the next Research Excellence Framework (REF). Nonetheless, it could be argued that the fevered animation generated by REF2014 has led to a prolonged and ongoing hangover. For most academics and administrators the experience of co-producing impact case studies was a forensic and thought-provoking, albeit ‘seat of the pants’ and largely extemporised experience. The refrain consistently repeated in strategy offices across the land goes something like this: ‘…there is absolutely no chance we’re going to execute our REF impact strategy in such an unsystematic and post-hoc fashion come 2020.’

But we are, aren’t we? As Julie Bayley and Casper Hitchens note, “the burden of effort and pressure to ‘find impact’ led to impact fatigue and a tarnished view of the concept” [i]. Their remedies are sound, and were arrived at independently by a number HEIs of in the aftermath of 18th December 2014; the need for greater planning and (ongoing) data collection, the institutional normalisation of impact, the co-ordination of both internal and external engagement processes, and so forth. The authors playfully mimic the language of HEFCE, noting the dawning of “an opportunity to significantly and demonstrably… change how we achieve impact.”

Read more…..